Colorado Springs City Council appoints Ken Casey to vacant seat, but not without controversy

Council President Lynette Crow-Iverson threatened to “silence” nearly half of the council after disagreement on the interview process.

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The Colorado Springs City Council decided in a 5-3 vote to appoint Ken Casey as the new District 2 representative. Casey, who has most recently served on the city’s planning commission, said he plans to balance needed growth with listening to residents’ concerns.

The appointment comes after Tom Bailey resigned rather than face a recall election.

Casey’s appointment was simple and streamlined, with Nancy Henjum, Kimberly Gold and Dave Donelson voting against it because they expressed concerns over his ability to commit fully to the position since he has a full-time job.

The meeting, however, was full of controversy, where what are often quiet divides boiled over into the open meeting.

At an earlier date, a majority of council members had agreed on a procedure for these interviews, council president Lynette Crow-Iverson said. Each council member could ask a question and a follow-up question, but could not ask an unrelated follow-up question. The goal was to make sure they’re asking the same questions of all the candidates.

Gold, who said she didn’t agree to the process, asked the second candidate a question about her previous work experience in politics — which was a different question than she had asked the previous candidate.

Briana Heaney/KRCCColorado Springs City Council. April 6, 2026.

Councilor Brandy Williams objected, citing the previous agreement about process and noting that the council is a nonpartisan elected body. She made a motion to formalize that procedure, which passed 5-3, with Gold, Donelson and Henjum objecting.

Crow-Iverson, who, as council president, sets the procedures, told KRCC she thought it was only fair to the process and the five candidates that everyone got the same questions. She said council follows that process for board appointments and hires.

“We just stayed consistent with how we do everything. And so everybody had the opportunity to answer the same question rather than the ping pong,” Crow-Iverson said. “If you think about it, and I’m not saying this would happen, but you have a favorite candidate, you might throw them a softball or ask him a different question.”

However, other council members said this is not a human resources procedure but an appointment to an elected office, which carries with it additional responsibility.

“If a council member wants to ask a follow-on question or even a second question, I think this is an important enough decision where we need to allow that to happen,” Donelson said.

“I will gladly accept another letter of reprimand for breaking the rules of decorum for the residents of District Two and the residents of the city of Colorado Springs,” Gold said. Gold was previously reprimanded for comments she made regarding the actions of colleague Dave Donelson.

Briana Heaney/KRCCA letter of reprimand against councilmembers Kimberly Gold, Dave Donelson and Nancy Henjum.

Despite the warning, councilors Gold, Donelson, and Henjum continued to ask follow-up questions that fell outside the scope of what Crow-Iverson said was permissible.

The proceeding broke for 5 minutes, during which city staff gave each of the three a letter, saying they had violated rule 3-4 of the Rules and Procedure of City Council.

Rule 3-4 states, “If a Councilmember violates the Rules and Procedures of City Council, the President shall call such Councilmember to order, in which case the council member shall be silent, unless permitted to explain by the President”.

“As president, I am calling them (Gold, Henjum and Donelson) to order and ask them to remain silent for the remainder of this process,” the letter said.

Crow-Iverson said she was not involved in crafting the letter. She said staff wrote it and got her approval before distributing it to the councilors.

Councilor Gold asked for clarification.

“If you ask more than one question, then you will be skipped in the rest of the interview’s questions,” President Lynette Crow-Iverson said.

After that exchange, Gold, Henjum, and Donelson refrained from asking extra questions, and the council finished up the interviews.

They held one vote, where Ken Casey received a 5-person majority.

Who is Ken Casey?

Casey is currently serving as the chair of the planning commission and works for the Department of the Interior. He will be the third councilor to serve the northern Colorado Springs district since March of last year.

Casey said his year on the planning commission will inform his new position, with one key difference:

“With the planning commission, we’re providing recommendations. In this case, we’ll be providing decisions. So it’s a little higher level of scrutiny,” Casey said.

Once Casey is sworn in on April 14, he will serve for a year. Then, next year, during the city’s election in April, the remaining two years of the typically four-year term will be on the ballot. Casey said he plans to run in that election.

Council chose between five finalists out of 25 applicants. The five candidates were Polly Cambron, Cindy Carter, Ken Casey, Anita Miller, and Dan Spohn. Finalist Sean Murray was not present.

Applicants, including the five candidates, said some of the top issues facing the district and the city as a whole were rapid growth, the Ford Amphitheater and government transparency — all issues that echo reasons why Bailey was facing a recall.

Other top issues were concerns over road conditions, concerns over the size of the fire and police force, and concerns on the prioritization of parks.

Applications are open to fill Colorado Springs City Council District 2 vacancy

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